As many of you know, the LogicPrep Family and I have recently experienced great personal loss due to the passing of my husband and co-founder, Jesse Kolber.

The LogicPrep Family was the first family that Jesse and I formed. We loved going to work together and marveled at how lucky we were to spend our days with such driven students on the cusp of one of life’s most exciting moments. These past few months, LogicPrep’s students, parents, and team members have shown me a tremendous amount of support, and I thank each of you for giving me strength, purpose, and hopeful reminders of how bright the future can be.

Anyone who knew Jesse will attest that he was a force of nature. He was smart, passionate, creative. And he didn’t give up: not on his vision or on his students. He believed deeply in people’s potential and their ability to persevere. “Things are almost certainly going to get hard,” he’d tell families as they embarked on their journey in our office - “buckle up” - but we’ll be here for you every step of the way.

This was, and remains today, as true as ever.

Jesse knew how to foster resilience in each of his students, and this same resilience is part of the essence of LogicPrep. As I formally step into the role of LogicPrep’s CEO, I feel fortunate to be supported by a team of gritty, passionate, dedicated individuals - many of whom have worked alongside me and Jesse for nearly a decade. And while he will be deeply missed, I’m confident that Jesse’s commitment to helping everyone become the best version of themselves will propel each of us - students and team members - forward. We have a lot to look forward to in 2018 as we expand our Latin American headquarters in São Paulo, prepare to open our office in Miami, and continue to build our incredible roster of instructors and advisors in New York.

Many of you have expressed interest in ways you can help, and in this vein, I’m excited to announce the launch of the Jesse Kolber Foundation, which will continue Jesse’s vision of supporting underserved students on the path to achieving their college dreams. All funds will be granted directly to students to cover tuition and other costs of higher education, and LogicPrep will provide pro-bono instruction and college advising. We will be hosting an event in the spring to officially launch the Foundation, and I hope to see you all there.

Jesse’s life was far too short, a painful reminder that there’s so much that’s simply outside of our control. We can logic our way through problems, we can prepare… we can do everything right, the way we’re supposed to. And yet that doesn’t always work out. It’s a devastating truth and one I’m still struggling to understand and am not sure I ever will. But one thing I know for sure is that we can control the impact we have on others and the meaning we find during our time here.

I walk into our office every day and am reminded of this. For that, I am incredibly grateful.

Should you have any questions or just want to talk, my door is open. I know it can feel hard to find the right thing to say, but talking about Jesse feels good - for me, at least - and I imagine the same might be true for others as well. Also, we’re on the cusp of a truly exciting and beautiful moment for the whole LogicPrep Family: we’ll be welcoming a tiny new team member in April and I look forward to introducing you to my little girl once she arrives. So, seriously, come on by!